C H A N D I G A R H

Top stories | Community | Crime | Education

Courts | Culture | Health | Sports

TOP STORIES

Not Fair
DEO abused; calls for police
Bigwigs influence admissions
Chandigarh, April 21
There were allegations and counter-allegations at the newly opened Government Model High School, Sector 38 (West) with local leaders allegedly interfering in the admission process under way.

Entertainment Park
Nod to project plan any time
Chandigarh, April 21
Nearly six months after signing an agreement, Unitech has submitted a map to the administration with details of the 30-acre entertainment Park at Sarangpur village. The company chosen for running the project expects a formal nod to the project plan any time now. The project will be commissioned by June 2009.

On his birthday, he lit 3 pyres
Chandigarh, April 21
On his birthday today, Atul lit the pyres of both his parents and his grandmother at the crematorium in Sector 25.


Kaavya and Atul

Airport expansion on hold
Chandigarh, April 21
Non-availability of land has come in the way of modernisation of the Chandigarh airport, one of the 35 non-metro airports on the radar of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Beggar with a style
Chandigarh, April 21
“I am one among millions”, boasted a “proud” beggar. This beggar stays in hotels, loves English wine and is fond of branded cigarettes. He watches Hindi movies on his VCD in his hotel room.

Put behind bars for no fault
Chandigarh, April 21
A faux pas by the district court staff today resulted in a Sector 48 resident, Harbans Kaur, being put behind bars by the Chandigarh Police.

Boy beaten at ex-cop's ‘behest’
Chandigarh, April 21
Sumit, a minor slum boy from Panchkula, was allegedly beaten up by a security guard on private duty at Mata Mansa Devi shrine complex this afternoon.

Study: 88 per cent addicts are under 25
Addiction degrades individual
In the early days, alcohol was used by mankind for medical purposes. Now factors like inadequate attention by parents, erosion of values and influence of the media, especially films and the televisions, are said to be responsible for the rise in abuse of alcohol. Alcohol addiction is a global problem.

COMMUNITY

Vacant Plots
GMADA may face litigation
Mohali, April 21
The greater Mohali area development authority (GMADA) has landed itself in a muddle by adopting PUDA’s decision of not giving extension in the construction period regarding plots allotted more than eight years ago. Such a move of the authority will lead to litigations from affected plot owners.

‘Pop-con lobby’ behind skewed sex ratio: Expert
Chandigarh, April 21
Blaming the “pop-con lobby” (population control lobby) of the government for the declining sex ratio across the country, Subhash Mendhapurkar, director, SUTRA, the Himachal Pradesh-based NGO, stressed upon how “the desire to have girls is being systematically killed.”

Beggars grease police palms
Chandigarh, April 21
The swelling numbers of beggars hint at the beggar-police nexus in the city. Most of the beggars operating from prime locations admit to having shared their booties with beat officers and kingpins, who control the trade by controlling the areas of operation.

Going easy on them
The Chandigarh police seems to have turned a blind eye to the beggary menace. In fact, the unwillingness on part of the law enforcement agency is being seen as the reason behind the growing menace, as the police only swings into action when the problem is highlighted.

Move to ‘adjust’ cop in MC
Resistance by councillors in sight
Chandigarh, April 21
The move of the Chandigarh police to bring a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) into the Chandigarh municipal corporation fold is set to meet with some though resistance.

Attempt to suppress dissent in MC, says councillor
Panchkula, April 21
Maintaining that there was a complete breakdown of municipal administration in the municipal council, BJP councillor V.K. Sood has said there was a deliberate attempt to create terror and suppress dissent in the House.

Bonus mooted for ESIC members making no claims
Chandigarh, April 21
In a proposal that can have far-reaching implications on the health of the employees of the organised sector, union minister of state for labour and employment Oscar Fernandes today advocated bonus for the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme members not making claims from hospitals and dispensaries.

Woman says baby swapped; no way, says MS
Chandigarh April 21
A resident of Mauli Jagran has alleged that her male baby was swapped with a female baby immediately after birth at Government College and Medical College, Sector-32.

One year gone, killers at large
Mohali, April 21
Even as children of a couple who was done to death in Phase IV, here, last year are organising a barsi of their parents tomorrow, the police has failed to trace the killers.

NCM team to visit Chandigarh
New Delhi, April 21
A delegation of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is setting out on a four-day visit to Haryana and Chandigarh tomorrow to get Punjabi language its due status in government schools and government offices.

Govt ‘committed’ to welfare of Dalits
Lalru, April 21
The Punjab government is committed to overall development of the Dalits, said Naranjan Singh, chairman of the SC and ST commission, Punjab, here today.

Acquisition
Farmers’ panel reminder to administration
Chandigarh, April 21
The Pind Bachao Committee has reminded the Chandigarh administration of a letter written by the Prime Minister to all chief ministers and administrators regarding the contentious issue of land acquisition wherein farmers are not getting the market price.

84 challaned for traffic violations
Chandigarh, April 21
Chandigarh administration continued its drive against bus operators and auto-rickshaws violating the rules.

Micro-credit system highlighted
Chandigarh, April 21
A conference of NGOs engaged in women empowerment was held at UT secretariat here on Thursday.

CRIME

Body found near Sec-52 school
Chandigarh, April 21
The body of an unidentified man in his mid-30s was found near government school in Sector 52 this evening.

Imposter mediaman in police net
Chandigarh, April 21
The local police on Thursday arrested a Kurukshetra resident on allegations of impersonation. He was posing as the bureau chief of a national private TV news channel. The accused, 26-year-old Pawan Kumar Habana, allegedly defrauded a Mohali resident of Rs 5,000 on the pretext of getting him a job in the channel.

Youth thrashed
Panchkula, April 21
Sunny, a resident of Sector 19, was beaten up by a group of boys late last night while he was returning home from Sector 15. One of the boys was later identified as Babbu, a resident of the same sector, who hit him in his jaw breaking two of his teeth.

EDUCATION

Assessment of grant utilisation
Teams inspect six aided schools
Chandigarh, April 21
The Chandigarh education department today carried out random inspection of six aided schools in the city to assess if aid being granted to them by the administration were being utilised properly.

Innovation must for tourism growth: Gen
Chandigarh, April 21
Advocating the need for broadening the concept of tourism on the global village theme, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) today emphasised the need for strengthening its linkages with societal, medical and religious objectives, compatible with national policies and guidelines.

From Schools and Colleges
Earth Day celebrations
CHANDIGARH: On the occasion of Earth Day, a lecture-cum-workshop on “Conserving the forests and aquatic ecosystems” was organised at Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary by Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh, on Saturday.

Students of Sharda Sarvhitkari Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 40-D, Chandigarh, on Saturday.

Noor-2007
Students enthral
Chandigarh, April 21
The campus of Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and Technology, Ramnagar, Banur, vibrated with music, laughter and dance on Saturday during ‘Noor-2007’, annual function of the institute.

Students of Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering & Technology, Ram Nagar, Banur, during Noor-2007 on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Amrita’s Cat-walk Chandigarh, April 21 Femina Miss India Universe 2005 Amrita Thapar today flagged off Polished Cats, Global School of Beauty, and English Cats. The projects will be handled by Flying Cats and Annamalai University. Anita Gupta, centre director of the three schools, said she had joined hands with Flying Cats to provide personality development training to aspirants. The equipment used in the parlour, where the schools are housed, is state-of-the-art, she said. Famina Miss India Universe 2005 Amrita Thapar at Mohali on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Vicky Gharu

Lecture on Indian policies
Chandigarh, April 21
Mohsin U. Khan, deputy director, National Institute of Science Technology and Development Studies, delivered a lecture on “Indian technology policy and its influence on technology development and society” at the department of physics on the PU campus, here, on Thursday.

COURTS

Backlog: Alternative dispute redressal holds the key
Chandigarh, April 21
With an astonishing backlog of nearly 2.5 crore cases and a ratio of 13.5 judges per million people, the courts of country need to innovate and take urgent measures to beef up their alternative dispute redressal infrastructure.

Woman officer faces GCM
Chandigarh, April 21
A woman officer, who had alleged sexual assault by her Commanding Officer (CO), is among several others to face a trial by a general court martial for allegedly giving false evidence on oath, it is learnt.

HC Censure
Sex ratio improving, claims admn
Chandigarh, April 21
A visibly embarrassed Chandigarh administration claimed that the sex ratio in the city was showing significant positive trends.

Fraud
Remand for mother, son
Lalru, April 21
A woman of nearby Nagla village and his son, who were on the run in a land fraud case for over two months, are finally behind the bars.

No consensus on senior advocate issue
Chandigarh, April 21
A full court meeting of Punjab and Haryana High Court judges convened here yesterday failed to arrive at a consensus on the issue of designating 24 lawyers as senior advocates.

CULTURE

Ustad Neelay Khan casts Sufiana spell
Chandigarh, April 21
The soulful strains of Sufiana qalaams, captivating quawwalis and intoxicating ghazals reverberated the plaza ambience today as the noted Ustad Neelay Khan of Patiala gharana took the centre stage along with nine of his accompanists.



Ustad Neelay Khan and group from Patiala performs at Plaza Carnival in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan


Assamese artistes captivate
Chandigarh, April 21
The Assam Foundation, an NGO based at Chandigarh, organised an annual celebration of ‘Rangali Bihu’, spring festival of Assam, and a cultural evening today at Kalagram, North Zone Cultural Centre, Chandigarh.

Artistes from Assam perform their traditional Bihu dance during the spring festival at Kalagram in Chandigarh on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

HEALTH

Other facilities must shoulder PGI’s burden, say experts
Chandigarh, April 21
Long queues, rude behaviour of staff, poor communication skills, difficulty in locating facilities, ageing ancillary structure came under focus of experts at a discussion on “How to make the PGI emergency more patient-friendly?” at the PGIMER today.

A discussion on “How to make the PGI emergency more patient-friendly?” in progress at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Health dept advisory for summer
Chandigarh, April 21
People should avoid synthetic and dark clothes, as well as exposure to direct sunlight during summer. Also, houses should be well ventilated and strenuous exercise during peak hours should be avoided.

Eye camp for poor kids
Chandigarh, April 21
A free eye check-up camp for underprivileged students was organised by the Rotaract Club, Punjab Engineering College, and the Rotary Club, Chandigarh (central), at Government Model High School, Sector 25, today.

A doctor examines a student during a free eye camp at Government Model High School, Sector 25, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

SPORTS

Book on hockey stars released
Chandigarh, April 21
“More tournaments should be planned at the school level to improve the level of hockey. The administrative system needs to be revamped to bring back the old glory of our national game,” opined three-time gold medallist ex-Olympian Balbir Singh Sr on the occasion of the book release function of ‘Vishav Hockey De Heere’ authored by Sukhwinder Singh Manouli.

(From left) Balbir Sr, Capt Kanwaljeet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Surinder Sodhi at the book release function at Press Club, Chandigarh, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Mandeep blanks Ramandeep in qualifier
Chandigarh, April 21
Local player Mandeep Kumar thrashed Ramandeep Singh of Punjab 4-0, 4-0 in the qualifying first round of the boys under-16 singles category of the AITA Championship Series Tennis Tournament being held at Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association courts, Sector 10 here today.

Suvinder, Saurabh steer Punjab to victory
Chandigarh, April 21
A blitzkrieg by Suvinder Singh 67 runs from 22 balls and a seven-wicket haul including a hat-trick by Saurabh Talwar enabled the Punjab team to register thumping victory over Uttaranchal by 98 runs in the national Twenty20 (Under-19) Cricket Tournament at Vivek High School, Sector 38, here today.

Prateek’s century props Mohali
Mohali, April 21
A captain’s knock (130) by Prateek Deswal helped the Mohali team to consolidate its position against Patiala in the ongoing Punjab Inter-District Under-15 Cricket Tournament at Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here today.

Wushu trials today
Chandigarh, April 21
Trials to select probables to represent Chandigarh in the forthcoming 7th Junior National Wushu Championship for boys and girls will be held tomorrow at 10 am at Labour Hall, Sector 30, here.